Apache Drive-In
13180 Texas 31,
Tyler,
TX
75705
13180 Texas 31,
Tyler,
TX
75705
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 28 comments
Only one adult drive-in left in America, the Fiesta in El Paso, Texas.
It was Closed in march 9, 2023 and the property has been sold.
Jnbindallastx1: A fellow who calls himself Dr. Lizardo (as in the Buckaroo Banzai character) or just Doc for short has a blog you will be interested in as it covers adult theatres and related places which allow “play.” Also, from the home page there is a link to a database he maintain. If the link fails just Google Lizardo adult and follow links to blogspot.
https://dremiliolizardo.blogspot.com/
This opened on November 7th, 1980. Grand opening ad posted. Another Apache Drive-In opened on March 9th, 1957 at Highway 31 West and closed in 1980.
Wife and I are very excited to be attending the Apache drive-in fir the first time this Friday night January 25th. We wish more people knew about this place as we very much enjoy going to porn theaters. We will definitely let all of our friends know about this place. We hope that my wife has as much fun as we anticipate she will.
If there’s anyone attending this Friday night Jan 25th, please let us know as my wife and I are going to be at the drive-in for the first time and would love to meet as many people there as possible.
My new husband introduced this theater to me. I am very interested and curious now. I honestly thought I would never find anyone that shared the same twist thoughts that he and I share. I am saddened to see that no one has made a comment on here in years. A recent experience that we encountered there together had made me realize what my husband meant when he said I was a rare and unique woman. Heck I ain’t no typical woman. I must say that some of the staff has made me feel so comfy there and others made me question. However I did need to question my self at that point in time. One staff member that my hubby just went on about how they made him so comfy was me reason to try it out. It took a couple times going to finally meet that staff member and hubby was right, for once…LOL Just kidding. I have learned alot by watching and talking with others and hope to go again soon. I am disappointed that with today being New Years Day that yall are not open or just don’t answer your phone and thats fine. I am just limited on my available time due to hubby’s work schedule. If I could I’d be there every night just because I now know I am not alone and I am not a freak of nature with my sexuality and sexual thoughts. Thanks To The Owners For Having This Awesome Theater For People Like Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought this passage may be of interest to our readers:
On entering the lot, I saw the dimmest picture I had ever seen on a drive-in screen.
Parking in the third row from the screen, I got out of the car to investigate. I kept wondering “Why is the picture so dim?”. The ambient light level was so low that I had difficulty making out the shapes of the cars parked around me.
I searched the projection booth and the concession stand for the tell-tale light of a projector. Nothing. I just couldn’t see it. One remote possibility came to mind. The screen of the Apache sits up on a dirt hill most likely created during the clearing of the lot and the construction of the berms. Perhaps a dozen feet in front of the screen sits a small enclosure.
The day I was there before, I didn’t have time to scale the hill to investigate the purpose of the enclosure. Looking into it at night confirmed what I now suspected. The enclosure must house a projection TV unit. I could see a variety of green status lights inside the enclosure. That fact, coupled with the lack of light from the projection booth made a remote projector the only possibility that made sense.
This is the first drive-in theater that I’ve seen that uses a projection system other than standard film projectors. While not a digital projection system, the Apache’s equipment does demonstrate the potential for using non-traditional projection systems.
I also added six photos I found in Lost Memory´s post made back in 2004. The photos seem to be from 2001. That post has a long article about this place, from which I may post some excerpts.
Ran across this report on a blog…
In east Texas near the town of Tyler, Texas is a dinosaur of a drive-in movie theater called the Apache. It shows only xxx rated movies on the outside big screen and has private video rooms and upstairs indoor movie theater which is open from about 10AM to about 1AM. It is a cool place to cruise and meet someone …
Address according to Google Maps is 13180 Texas 31, Tyler, TX 75705
Hello all,
I am doing a large-scale research project on adult theatres and would be very interested to hear from anything who either worked at or attended this theatre during its time showing adult films. If you would like to help me out, you can email me at .
Thanks!
I ALWAYS ENJOYED WATCHING THE ELABORATE DANCE THAT THE CARS PERFORMED IN THE PARKING LOT. MOVING SYNCHRONIZED TO THE MUSIC WHICH WAS THE MOVIE PLAYING ON THE BIG SCREEN. SOME NIGHTS NO MUSIC WAS EVEN NEEDED FOR THE DANCE TO COMMENCE. MIKE AND GLORIA SURE BROUGHT A WHOLE NEW CLIENTELE TO THE THEATER. BOTH COUPLES AND THE YOUNGER CROWD STARTED TO FREQUENT THE MOVIES. NO ONE WAS GONNA GET HURT NOT WITH MIKE AROUND AND HE KEPT IT SO CLEAN. GLORIA WAS A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY MAKING SURE YOU FOUND THE MOVIE YO0U WERE LOOKING FOR. SHE KEPT A SENSE OF HUMOR IN SITUATIONS THAT COULD OTHERWISE BE ACKWARD. SURE DO MISS THE FUN.
Tylergal: ~ Girl, that was too funny. I will be certain not to make a trip there…especially at night. Although, back in the late ‘70s and '80s I think almost all of the drive-ins were homosexual dens, even if they were showing a Disney film. You could be there watching a double-bill of “Caddyshack” and “Rabbit Test”, then see a few other things you didn’t ask for.
“Lock your doors and don’t look anyone in the face.” TELL ME ABOUT IT!
I used to go hear one year I was in High School in East Texas. We used to sneak friends in along what I think was the Eastern edge of the drivein.
KEN THAT IS AN OLD SIGN THEY HAVE A NEWER SIGN AS OF 2007
“Adult movies” says it all. Patrons probably aren’t that interested in the movie, anyway.
I think this may be the marquee for the Apache:
http://tinyurl.com/ysqexc
tyler needs a real drive in
this opened in the 60s
I went to this drive-in in 1981 or 82. I had no idea it was only 2 or 3 years old at that time. The projector bulb was so dim….you could barely see the movie. To make matters worse…..since it was located in the woods….the fog would roll in and make the screen even harder to see. Not that anyone was really watching the movie anyway. I went to this drive-in with some college roomates to see what this place was all about. What an adventure!
I was told that this was opened as a Rated X Theatre. ALTHO, it was originally across town and it was a “Regular” theatre Then.. The Fiesta in El Paso Opened as a Rated X theatre as well..
Randy Carlisle
Photographically Preserving Dallas History 1 Building @ A Time
no
went to see this theater during the day , top right piece of screen is missing and thats how they run it.Area is clean neon APACHE all working – pylon looks as if its new.
was this drive -in always an x rated theater??